MENUMENU
  • About
  • Buy
  • Press
  • Book Clubs
  • Writer Resources
  • Allie Larkin
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • g

Allison Larkin

Internationally Best-Selling Author

You are here: Home / Argo the wonder dog / Did I forget to mention we live in the Arctic?

Did I forget to mention we live in the Arctic?

January 15, 2010 Filed Under: Argo the wonder dog, life, lists, rochester, weather


IMG_0445
Originally uploaded by AlliesAnswers

Oh, another week of meaning to blog and not quite getting to it, so here’s a pretty picture, and now I’m going to do one of my rundown lists on the events of the past week. :)

  • Last Sunday, J and I grabbed our very underused crampons, and went out to Chimney Bluffs on Lake Ontario to climb around on the ice and pretend to be Arctic explorers. We took tons of pictures on our phones, and if you click on the link above, it should take you to them — if, you know, you’re interested in seeing 60+ pictures of ice. I’ll have to steal J’s camera later and upload some of the ones of me in my sweet bright orange jacket (sale item, but super warm). It was the first time in a long time that we put aside our insane to do lists and just went out to play. It was much needed.
  • Stella was due for her shots and I suspected (correctly) that Argo had an ear infection, so I did what any dog owner who doesn’t think enough before she acts would do, and scheduled an appointment for both of them AT THE SAME TIME. The double lead leash works super well for walks when they are both going in the same direction. Not so much in waiting rooms when Stella wants to hide and Argo wants to cuddle with everyone. When the vet tech was weighing Stella, Argo taught himself how to open the exam room door and let himself back into the waiting room to, presumably, cuddle with everyone. And when the vet came in, Argo got super protective of Stella, so after he got his ears checked out, I had to run him out to the car. I have realized it is not, in fact, easier to take both dogs in at once. Separate appointments from now on, unless J can come and wrangle dogs with me.
  • I got J hooked on Friday Night Lights so I have an excuse to watch all the episodes again. As a result, I have been walking around singing, “Oh, Landry! Well you came and you gave without taking, but I sent you away, oh Landry,” because a. Barry Manilow is awesome, b. it totally fits, doesn’t it? c. Landry is awesome, and d. I’m weird.
  • I launched, Operation Please Stop Making Your Husband Look At You Wearing 15 Year Old Theatre Production T-shirts (or OPSMYHLAYWFYOPT) and bought myself some actual PJs that don’t have holes in them or advertise the most awful, un-diverse production of The Wiz that ever was performed.
  • I faced the fact that online to do list systems don’t work for me, no matter how much I love the idea of being all high tech about organization, and went back to writing things down.
  • I played phone tag with Lady.
  • I took a good, long bath, complete with bath salts, a mass market paperback, and a good glass of wine.
  • I started my days this week with 30 minutes of writing exercises.

What have you been up to this week?

11 Comments

Comments

  1. Kate says

    January 16, 2010 at 12:25 am

    While I may take the cats to the vet together, they have to be taken in one at a time. Sigh. Way too much hissing and launching themselves across the room every time they hear another animal come in.

    Reply
  2. courtney says

    January 16, 2010 at 4:41 pm

    I originally read your Manilow song verse as “Oh Laundry,” and while it made no sense, it made me laugh. On the plus side, I now have a new song to sing whenever I do laundry.

    Reply
  3. Lara says

    January 16, 2010 at 6:20 pm

    Ok – we both read incessantly, like Barry Manilow, and love German Shepherds…are you sure we weren’t separated at birth? :)
    My week was spent dodging plumbing problems at the homefront and trying to figure out how to be a grown-up and still have fun. Not sure I succeeded at either but there is always next week to try again!

    Reply
  4. Noelle says

    January 16, 2010 at 10:07 pm

    I was just wondering if I could ever part with my old theatre shirts, actually… They’re at the bottom of the gym clothes pile, constantly ignored because they’re in the “I only wear XXL” phase of my life.

    OH! And I went to a writing class today! I told them I was inspired by you, and read an unpublished article I wrote. They liked it, but next month I’m going to have to bring in some real fiction, I think.

    Reply
  5. The Modern Gal says

    January 17, 2010 at 8:07 pm

    Hell ya, Barry Manilow is awesome. As is the song Mandy, so I commend you.

    I just worked this week. A lot. Like a whole, whole lot. If you google news my name, you’ll see the evidence.

    Reply
  6. Allie says

    January 17, 2010 at 8:25 pm

    Kate – I can take a dog and the cat to the vet at the same time. The crate helps. But two cats would be really hard.

    Noelle – I’m not getting rid of my theatre t-shirts (don’t have the heart to). I just moved them to a box in the basement. Maybe I’ll make a t-shirt quilt someday.

    MG – You’re not kidding, lady! That’s insane! Go you!

    Reply
  7. Allie says

    January 18, 2010 at 12:20 am

    Oh! And Noelle! Congrats on the writing class! I can’t wait to hear more about it!!!!!

    Reply
  8. Reluctant Blogger says

    January 18, 2010 at 10:05 am

    Reminds me of the time I took two of my children to have shots at the same time. The nurse gave one of them the shot and he screamed and then the other one tried to bite the nurse rather than have his shot. Never again!

    Wow, ice climbing. I’ve never done that. We’ve just got rid of our snow and the world looks very grey again.

    What have I done? I’ve been keeping my head down and working. I’ve felt glum so I reasoned that at least if I worked, when I come out the other side and feel jolly, at least I won’t have to wreck my happiness with piles of work to do!

    Oh and don’t mention wine – I am exactly halfway through my 31 days of alcohol-free living. Perhaps that is why I am glum???

    Reply
  9. Willow says

    January 18, 2010 at 6:13 pm

    This week, well, let’s see. Last night, we watched the most recent Harry Potter movie on Netflix while I spun some superwash wool. I’m starting today with a VERY slow morning because I don’t have to be out early. Watching the raindrops drop, I am sipping a second hubby made latte. In a few minutes, I’m off to do several hours of prep work at my boss’s house.

    I have a question for you–since you’re Canadian, right? Did you learn to write using IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing) methods?

    Reply
  10. Allie says

    January 21, 2010 at 11:24 pm

    Lara, we may actually be. You have curly hair too, right? If you figure out the whole grown up/fun thing, can you let me know?

    RB – Our snow melted this week and it’s got me kind of down too. I don’t love the snow necessarily, but if it’s going to be cold anyway, I’d rather the ground be clean and bright instead of muddy. Hope you feel better soon – I like your plan of working so your work is done when you feel better!

    Willow – I LOVE that your husband makes you lattes – that is so sweet. I’m not actually Canadian. We’re in Rochester, NY – only about 2 hours from Toronto, but I actually haven’t heard about IEW methods (although, now I’m interested to find out).

    Reply
  11. A Free Man says

    January 26, 2010 at 10:50 pm

    I love, love, love Friday Night Lights. Although I’m a Tim Riggins guy through and through, can just relate to a life of bad decisions!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

  • Home
  • Allie Larkin
  • Blog
  • Book Clubs
  • Contact
  • Writer Resources

allielarkinwrites

We are in the habit of starting and ending our day We are in the habit of starting and ending our days side by side in our lawn chairs, while the light rises or dims. It’s still chilly at the outer edges of the day. Sometimes Roxy shivers. I bought her a sweater, but she won’t wear it. Sometimes I try to wrap her in my jacket, but she’s not having that either, so I throw her ball and try to get her run and then she comes back to her chair, warm for a little longer. #dailyroxydog #huskychihuahua #dogssittinginchairs
“I got a secret I should tell. I’m going up to “I got a secret I should tell. I’m going up to heaven in a split pea shell.” ~ @petermulvey43 Words Too Small to Say
Happy as a dog in a freshly dug nap hole. #dailyro Happy as a dog in a freshly dug nap hole. #dailyroxydog #huskymixesofinstagram
I saw this little dresser at my favorite magic ant I saw this little dresser at my favorite magic antique store sometime in November and didn’t buy it. But then, of course, I kept thinking about her. She’s the perfect size for my office, and I found those drawer pulls hilarious. When I finally went back in December, I told myself I was shopping for wall art, because I assumed she would be gone. But she was right where I’d seen her last: balanced on another dresser with boxes of old picture frames and tchotchkes piled on top (the true mark of a magic antique store). I didn’t even realize she had a towel rack — that she was a wash stand, not a dresser — until I asked about the price, said I’d take her, and my favorite magic antique store person asked if we needed to unscrew the towel rack to fit her in my car. I suspect this little sweetie is not from the days of necessary wash stands so much as from a country kitchen in the 80s. She was in rough shape, and not made from wood worth stripping and re-staining, but her price reflected that. I had to disassemble that door and put it back together, but I’d been in the market for some experience working with old furniture, and she made me feel brave about trying. I thought about painting her something more neutral, but I’m so glad I didn’t. She deserves to be pink. She’s not perfectly painted and needs a few touch ups. I learned some things about chalk paint and finishes. The drawers stick a bit. Eventually, I’d like to line them with fabric and when I do, I might plane the edges to smooth things out. But goodness, I love her in a way that I wouldn’t if I hadn’t spent time cleaning away her cobwebs and scrubbing the grime from her hilarious drawer pulls. She’s also become a little shrine for the book I’m working on, which makes me love her even more. I’ve always been a person who sees some soul in certain things, and I’m learning to cherish that idiosyncrasy, because there’s so much joy to be found in a brave little toaster or an underdog wash stand. We’re not here in the world for all that long. We may as well love some bright little things. #furnituremakeover
After Roxy started stealing my seat, I dragged a s After Roxy started stealing my seat, I dragged a second lawn chair out. She nudges me over and we sit in our chairs, side by side, and watch the sun set. Well, I watch the sun set. She spies on the neighbors. #dailyroxydog #dogstagram #sundayevening
I truly don’t understand how anyone is this cute I truly don’t understand how anyone is this cute. I never get used to it. There’s no immunity. She’s adorable beyond what pictures can capture. #dailyroxydog #huskymixesofinstagram #ilovemydog
Load More... Follow on Instagram

© Allison Larkin | Site by Little Leaf Design